The summer holiday rush at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport is set to face serious disruption after the Groundforce works council, led by the CGT union, confirmed on 3 August that it will begin an open-ended strike at 00:00 on Tuesday, 4 August. The 1,179-strong workforce provides all passenger‐handling, check-in, boarding-gate and flight-coordination services for more than 40 airlines that rely on the handler at Spain’s second-busiest airport. Union representatives say months of talks with management produced “no concrete proposals” to tackle what they describe as a “collapse in occupational safety” and chronic understaffing. According to the strike notice, overtime hours have doubled since June as tourist arrivals surpass pre-pandemic levels while the company has not replaced temporary contracts that expired in July. CGT spokesperson Esther García warned that “the summer peak will be unmanageable unless the company negotiates a staffing plan and guarantees for new hires.” By law, Spain’s Ministry of Transport will set minimum service levels to keep essential operations running. In similar disputes, these levels have ranged between 70 % and 90 % for passenger flights, meaning travellers should still expect long queues at check-in, baggage drop and boarding. Airlines including Lufthansa, Emirates and Vueling have begun emailing passengers urging them to arrive at least three hours before departure and to travel with hand luggage only where possible. Business-travel managers are already bracing for knock-on effects across Europe’s tight aviation network. Barcelona is a key hub for cruise-line crew changes and for the growing technology corridor that links the city with Madrid and Valencia. Missed connections could force companies to re-route staff via Madrid or Palma, raising costs and carbon footprints. Travel-risk consultancies recommend building 24-hour contingencies into itineraries for the next week at minimum. If no agreement is reached, the strike could spread. CGT says it has received solidarity pledges from handlers in Madrid, Ibiza and Málaga, where separate grievances over pay indexation remain unresolved. Observers note that Groundforce’s parent group, Globalia, is in the middle of refinancing talks with creditors, leaving limited room for wage concessions. The Ministry of Labour has offered mediation, but so far no new meeting has been scheduled.
Source: El País
